A House Divided

I needed to play a simpler quicker playing game to clear my brain so we decided on A House Divided.  Though the VASSAL module is based on a later version of the game I have owned the GDW version since the mid eighties.  I don't remember if we diced for it or I just asked and got the Union.

The classic simple game.  The Union has to take all of the multi-point VC hexes (three of them IIRC) and not let DC fall to the CSA.

First Blood goes to the USA who win the first battle of Bull Run!

The situation October 61.  The CSA pushes USA forces back in the west and win a battle outside Fort Monroe in the east.

March 1862.  The CSA attacks Fort Monroe and takes it!  The USA's bumbling commanders sit and twiddle their thumbs.  Command rolls of 1 a couple times in a row.

April 1962 and the USA continue to twiddle.  The south handily win the second battle of Manassas. 

May 1862 and the CSA makes an end run around DC.

Lincoln demands the Army of DC (Potomac Bah!  they spend all their time in DC up till now) to attack and destroy them.  Instead the US army is destroyed but the CSA's army of Baltimore is reduced to a couple of divisions.

In June 1862 the CSA attacks and takes Washington DC earning them a negotiated (at the point of a gun) peace.

I should have just let the units above DC sit there.  If the CSA went further away from DC then a smaller force in DC could have attacked anyone left to hold recruitement cities and the CSA forces up there would not be helping to secure the southwest which was being strangled by the USA's western armies.  I would like to try this again with the advanced rules.  A fun lite wargame with a few ahistorical items but not bad at all for a low complexity affair.  The "Advanced" rules are not all that advanced either, bringing the game up to the low end of intermediate complexity.

ASL 208: The Grist Mill

Played this one with Robert Z and it was another one where I did not save the log.  Slaughtered again.  (yup, sore loser).  Once again bad play on my part.

Although the entire map was used this was the only part of the map that was important.  The US have to hold the building in R9 at the end of turn 5 to win.  Being Korea the trees do NOT block LOS and that totally messed up my thinking.  The Rice Paddy grain didn't help either though the slowed up the NK advance I didn't take it properly into account in my setup.  The lowered breakdown number on the MG and the Mtr combined with no rout ability (I could see enemies in both directions!) caused me to lose guys for Failure to Rout.  A brutal intro to Korea for my forces!

Normandy 44 continues (Turn 15)

Lawrence and I continue our game of Normandy 44.  Last week the clear blue skies were a disaster for my Stalwart Germans - we pray for a Storm to come...

Disaster Strikes!  More clear weather.  Though there are a few clouds in the sky the Jabos still have free reign over the battlefield and our reinforcements do not have the mobility they need.  The Germans retreat toward Cherbourg to try and make a strong line and hold the line at Caen.  Sending in mere Stugs to held back the Allied armor where Panthers were attacking just two days ago...

The end of Allied turn 15 and the game.  The German forces everywhere collapse.  Near Cherbourg everything is forced to fall back.  That would not be so bad but near Caen the forces just outside the city disintegrate losing 2 units outright and the stug being forced to rout away.  The Commonwealth forces enter Caen and baring idiotic play would never be forced out of the city now that they are in it.  Allied VP is very close to the 10 needed for a win and no more hexes of Caen need be taken to get that VP.  

A good game on the topic.  For a one map game with a moderate number of units it is a SLOG to play through for the Germans - you will be on the defensive nearly the entire time and plugging holes constantly with too few forces.  Depending on the weather rolls (only one storm turn this game) it could be a rough patch for either side.  Too few and the Germans don't catch a needed break and too many or too early the Allies are unable to get forces ashore.  Looking forward to trying this one again - maybe as the Allies this time...

ASL Action Pack 101: When I call Roll

Played this way back on April 11th.  Being a sore loser it took me this long to get round to writing it (and others up).  We plan to play through all of the 29 Let's Go! scenarios in order.  The idea to play scenarios we normally would not along with ones that we would.  From now on it will mostly be very short notes so I can look back and see what I played over the years.

The US is coming by Seaborne Assault (my first time with boats).  The have to get off the road or capture a number of the hidden fortifications.

The End of US turn 5 and the game.  German resistance has collapsed - the only unbroken unit on the board is the 8-0 and the 247.  Mistaking sea-wall for a wall killed me (and sticking too long at the wall).  The US took some heavy losses on the beach but fired back with a vengeance.  I should have retreated earlier and more then likely put the MG teams in the buildings!  Oh well maybe I'll do better next game.  NOT!

Normandy 44 continues! (Turn 14)

Lawrence and I continued our Normandy 44 game via vassal.

CLEAR SKIES!!!  The perfect weather leave JABOS flying all over the battlefield.  The Germans (me) rashly decided to attack anyway - there was a 50% chance of the jabos not showing up over any particular battle and only a 1 in 6 chance of them being a 3 column shift... 
First attack with Tigers went from a 3 to 1 down to a 1 to 2 and ended up a A1 result...
Second attack with Panthers went from a 2 to 1 down to a 1 to 3 and I forget what the exact outcome was but it was not good.  Yup, double sixes for the Allied air followed by bad combat results for the Germans.  German counter attacks out of Caen were now a thing of the past.

End of Allied part of turn 14.  The Jabos strike again!  Destroying what was left of my Panthers near Caen (strafing attack).  The US pulls off three attacks pushing the Germans back toward Cherbourg and nearly cutting the Cotentin.  The Commonwealth forces do not do nearly as well.  The attack along the cost is stopped by a DD and the other two attacks end up exchanges.  

If they do not get at least Overcast tomorrow the Germans are probably done for.

Normandy 44 continued via VASSAL (turns 12 and 13)

Lawrence and I continued our Normandy 44 game via Vassal due to Covid-19

German Turn 12 start.

Start of Allied turn 12.  German attacks are shown.  The Allies are pushed back in a few spots.

Results of Allied turn 12.  The Germans taketh and the Allies taketh back.  Allied attacks and results shown.

Results of German turn 13.  More attacks force the Allies further away from Caen.

The Allies do not attack on Turn13 and reorganize instead.

That was all the game time in for that day.  We would be playing a game a week on Friday's or Saturday for the foreseeable future.  Vassal is not as nice as FtF but does allow the game to be easily stowed and with no drive time to get to a game allows short game sessions. 

ASL Dispatches from the Bunker 24 No Respite

Played this one with Tycho on VASL.  I was the Italians and he the British. 

The battlefield.  The Italians have 5 turns to take 4 of the 6 building hexes in the red lined area. 

Game start.  The Italians have a lot of troops but about equal numbers of tanks and guns.  We thought this would be more of a walkover till we noticed the Brits start concealed.   That makes things a little tougher for the Italians.

Game end before turn 5.  Failed my PMC but it could still have gone on for an Italian win.  Not likely though.  The First fire counter near the bottom middle is where an Italian squad went Berserk and died in CC - a pity since the other CC went my way.  As I recall my Italians could not make an MC to save their lives (literally) .  A good scenario and I would play it again.  I also love how VASL can recolor the maps to the theater.